Laser Additive Manufacturing

Laser Additive Manufacturing

Rapid prototyping is used in applications where design prototypes or a low volume of complex parts are required to be fabricated quickly. The process enables manufacturing of complex parts out of either an epoxy polymer or powder without the need of complex tooling. The process is differentiated between Stereolithography (SLA) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLM). In both the SLA and SLM processes, a 3-D CAD model is sliced into many layers like a stack of cards then transferred to the SLA or SLM tool. The laser beam is steered by a galvanometric scanner head and builds up the part layer by layer. After each layer is processed, a layer of polymer or powder is deposited on top of the part and the next laser processing step begins.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) 3D printing technology enables the manufacturing of a vast array of geometrically complex products within a controlled powder bed, where parts are built one layer at a time as the laser selectively melts the powder to the preceding layer, forming a solid part. The built-up component sizes are constrained by the size of the powder bed but parts are produced to exacting levels of accuracy.

A very wide range of industrial sectors, including but not limited to dental, medical, engineering, tool & mold making and advanced academic education & research already adopted this technology in their daily work by using ready to work turnkey solutions like the systems of the Coherent CREATOR Series or by integrating fiber lasers into already existing production environments.

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Laser cladding with a powder nozzle, also called Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) or Laser Metal Deposition (LMD), can be used to repair a diverse variety of components or to apply protective layers to prevent wear and corrosion.

Thanks to software-supported production options, it can be leveraged to completely automatically produce a vast range of geometries. Material can be deposited in a single-or multiple-layers; even entirely new objects can be made and fused with existing components. In addition to faster throughput, exceptional quality, and low mingling of base and cladding powders, DMD excels with minimal dimensional distortion thanks to low heat penetration. These benefits, coupled with smooth, minimally porous surfaces, help to largely eliminate subsequent finishing steps. DMD thus also delivers major time and cost savings.

Laser powder cladding is particularly useful in industries such as tool and mold making, oil and gas industry, as well in the aerospace and automotive industry.

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Using lasers for cladding, you will achieve better surface uniformity than with traditional technologies.

Wire laser cladding is a coating method with excellent properties and high deposition rate and is used for the repair of components and functionalizing of surfaces. It is possible to apply material of the same type or to create functional layers according to the requirements for the coating. This process is particularly economical as the filler wire is constantly utilized to 100 %.

In comparison to the powder cladding procedure this process is very clean and both user and environmentally friendly. Often the wire cladding process is used in micro repair applications. In these cases the filler wire consists of a thin wire with a diameter between 0.1 and 0.8 mm. The low heat input, rapid heating and cooling, and precise control of laser beam energy by pulse forming all help to minimize the thermal loading of the workpiece. Compared to other methods, the microstructural transformation in the workpiece is clearly lower.

Current application fields range from repair of engines and turbines to coatings of functional surfaces on forms and tools up to direct additive manufacturing of metal components.

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Stereolithography (SLA), where 3D Models are created with an extremely high level of detail and a smooth surface finish, is an excellent choice where a close approximation to the finished product is desired. Today’s available resins, which are selectively harden by a low power UV laser, are widely used in products made for an individual customer, like bracelets or hearing aids in-ear adapter/housing.